bioRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.06.11.447753; this version posted June 11, 2021. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under aCC-BY 4.0 International license. The asymmetric Pitx2 regulates intestinal muscular-lacteal development and protects against fatty liver disease Shing Hu1, Aparna Mahadevan1, Isaac F. Elysee1, Joseph Choi1, Nathan R. Souchet1, Gloria H. Bae1, Alessandra K. Taboada1, Gerald E. Duhamel2, Carolyn S. Sevier1, Ge Tao3, and Natasza A. Kurpios1,* 1Department of Molecular Medicine, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA 2Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY 14853, USA 3Department of Regenerative Medicine and Cell Biology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA *Correspondence and Lead Contact:
[email protected] RUNNING TITLE: Pitx2c regulates gut lymphatic development bioRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.06.11.447753; this version posted June 11, 2021. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under aCC-BY 4.0 International license. SUMMARY Intestinal lacteals are the essential lymphatic channels for absorption and transport of dietary lipids and drive pathogenesis of debilitating metabolic diseases. Yet, organ-specific mechanisms linking lymphatic dysfunction to disease etiology remain largely unknown. In this study, we uncover a novel intestinal lymphatic program that is linked to the left-right (LR) asymmetric transcription factor Pitx2.